Saturday, October 30, 2010

Let's see... four people and three pizzas. Yeah, that seems about right. ;)

Shiitake Mushrooms, tomato sauce & Daiya cheddar...

...seitan sausages, tomato sauce & Daiya cheddar...

...and finally chanterelle, alder-smoked potato and Daiya mozzarella.

It was surprise to find chanterelles, but they were lovely. The Yukon Gold potatoes were sliced thinly on a benriner/mandoline, tossed with olive oil, salt and pepper, then alder-smoked for 35 minutes. We like alder wood for the potatoes because it's a milder flavor and it doesn't overwhelm them.

Monday, October 25, 2010

The tofu was hickory-smoked for 25 minutes, then marinated: 2 tbs. olive oil, 2 tbs. tamari, 1 cloves of garlic smashed, 1 tsp. agave, 1 tsp. ketchup and freshly ground black pepper to taste. While the tofu was grilling, it was basted with the remaining marinade. For a nice crosshatch pattern, start the tofu at a 45° angle to the grill grates and turn about 90° after 3-4 minutes, flip and repeat.

The farro (1 cup) was rinsed, and cooked in 2 cups of boiling (salted) water for 20-25 minutes, drained and added to a saute pan with the wilted spinach. The sunchokes (a.k.a. Jerusalem artichokes), were peeled, cut in 1/4" slices and boiled (in salted water) for 10 minutes, until just cooked through. They were added to the farro and spinach mixture along with salt and pepper to taste.

The cauliflower was tossed with olive oil, salt and pepper and roasted at 450F for 15 minutes, tossed once about halfway through.

When it's all combined, the farro, spinach and sunchokes absorb the juices from the grilled tofu and the cauliflower adds a nice textural component to the proceedings.

Cut the tofu into six cutlets (not eight). Lay a piece of tofu flat on the cutting board, and carefully make a slit in one side, about 1/4" from the edges to make a pocket.

Add the apple wood chips to the smoker box and process the tofu for 25 minutes.

Remove the tofu from the smoker box and set aside to cool slightly.

In a large saute pan on medium-high heat, add the olive oil. When it begins to shimmer, add the tofu cutlets and saute until golden brown on both sides, 4-5 minutes per side. At the end of cooking, add the tamari to coat both sides of the tofu.

Remove from pan and let the tofu cool slightly while you make the stuffing and glaze.

Apple Cider, Maple Syrup and Calvados Glaze

1 cup Apple Cider1 tbs. Maple Syrup1 tbs. Calvadosblack pepper

Combine the first three ingredients in a small saute pan on high heat, reduce to about a 1/4 cup, add fresh ground black pepper, keep warm until service.

In a large saute pan on medium heat, add the olive oil. When the oil starts to shimmer, add the collard greens and immediately turn to coat with tongs. Reduce heat to medium-low and place a lid on the saute pan and let cook for 3-4 minutes. Remove the lid, add the diced apple, and stir to combine. Place the lid back on the saute pan and cook for another 3-4 minutes. Remove the lid, add the tamari and pepper to taste and stir to combine. Leave the lid off and cook for another 1-2 minutes or until most of the liquid has evaporated. Let cool slightly.

Assembly

Stuff as much of the collard greens and apple mixture in the pocket of the tofu as you can. Place the tofu on a sheet pan and roast in the oven for 10 minutes at 350F.

Use any of the leftover collard greens and apple mixture as a base for the tofu.

Remove the tofu from the oven and place each piece in the warm glaze to coat both sides. Add the tofu to the plate (with the Roasted Potato & Parsnips and Braised Leeks) and pour any remaining glaze over the top.

Cut the tofu into eight rectangular cutlets, then cut each cutlet diagonally into long triangles.

Smoke the tofu with hickory chips for 25 minutes.

Remove from the smoker box, place the tofu on a flat plate and add the tamari, turn to coat both sides, let marinate for 5 minutes.

3/4 cup of AP flour1 1/2 teaspoons of (smoked) paprika (if you have it, if not regular will do)1 1/2 teaspoons of salt1/4 teaspoon of black pepper

Oil (for frying)

Add the flour, paprika, salt and pepper in a medium-sized brown paper bag and shake to mix.

Add half of the marinated tofu cutlets and shake until well coated. Remove from bag and knock off excess flour. Repeat with the second batch.

Using two cast-iron skillets add about 1/8" of oil over high heat (If you're using just one cast-iron skillet, divide the tofu into two batches and fry separately). When oil has come to temp, add the coated tofu pieces gently into the oil and fry until well browned on both sides (about 3-4 minutes per side). Drain on a rack (or the brown paper bag).

The gravy uses shiitake mushrooms cooked down, then make a simple roux (1 tbs. soy margarine, 1 tbs. flour) and cook them together until the roux turns light brown. Then you whisk in 1 cup of veg stock, 1 tbs. tamari and fresh cracked black pepper.

The broccoli is tossed with a little olive oil, salt and pepper and roasted at 450F for 15 minutes, turning once halfway through cooking.

Sunday, October 03, 2010

We made the Savory Mini-Cheesecakes again -- a riff on a Jacques Pepin recipe from the "More Fast Food My Way" show, subbing soft tofu for the eggs, soy sour cream, Earth Balance, a pinch of nooch, microplaned Sheese smoked cheddar and added a tsp of baking powder to puff up the souffle.

They were served on a bed of mixed greens with roasted beets (tops trimmed, wrapped in foil with a splash of olive oil, baked for 45 minutes at 450F) and topped with sliced mushrooms (olive oil, pepper, tamari) deglazed with sherry.

3. Links to recipes are shown when available, if there's no link, we'll try to cite the book/magazine issue from where it came. If there's no recipe cited, it usually means we made it up... and if there's nothing at all, enjoy the pretty pictures. ;)

4. We don't like ersatz food (i.e. tofu molded into the shape of a turkey for Thanksgiving), but we're funny that way.

5. A brief personal history. We were vegetarian for 7 years, and have been vegan for the last 20 years.